Clothes-drying rack.



J. R. RUSSELL.

CLOTHES DRYING RACK. APPLICATION FILED 113.25, 1909.

m m w 5 m UR, M RR U W TU SYUJ P m m 6 F my v 4 9 w UNTTE JOSEPH R. RUSSELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CLOTHES-DRYING RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1910.

Application filed February 25, 1909. Serial No. 479,888.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH R. RUSSELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Clothes -Drying Racks, of which the following is a complete specification.

This invention relates to racks for drying clothes, and more particularly to the folding indoor type of such devices, on which the clothes are hung and the rack then elevated to a position near the ceiling and out of the way.

More specifically, it relates to certain details designed to simplify its construction, lessen the cost of production, and increase the efficiency and convenience of same.

A further object in view consists in providing a folding clothes rack which is detaehable from its supporting standard, and hence when not in use can be readily removed and stored in a place out of the way and free from dust and dirt.

Referring to the accompanying drawings -Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the complete device attached to the wall and with the fingers raised to a horizontal posi tion; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the finger bracket showing the fingers attached thereto; Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the standard taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a detail view of the finger bracket supporting arm; Fig. 5 shows an enlarged detail plan of the finger bracket carriage; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged view showing the pivotal bearing of the fingers.

I am aware that a clothes rack drier of this general type and embodying the main features disclosed herein is not new, but certain useful features or improvements are believed to possess novelty, and these features will be more specifically described and pointed out in the appended claims.

1 represents a wall, which may be a wall of the room in which it is desired to use the rack. A vertically disposed standard 2, consisting of a bar of rectangular cross section, preferably, is fixed to the wall, and at a slight distance therefrom, by means of the small wall brackets 3, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, the rivets 4 fixing the standard and bracket together, while the screws 5 secure the bracket to the wall. The lower end 2 of the said standard 2 is bent laterally to form a support for the rod 6. On the standard 2, and slidably engaging same, is mounted the finger bracket carriage 7 This carriage is formed preferably of a casting and is provided at its upper and lower ends, respeetively, with the oppositely projecting lugs 7 and 7 in which are journaled the anti-friction rollers 8. These rollers engage opposite sides of the standard, thereby lessening friction and enabling the carriage to move freely up or down when carrying a load of clothes.

On the upper end of the carriage 7 is formed the forwardly projecting arm 9, provided with the cylindrical channel 9 This channel 9 is open below and receives endwise the barrel 10 of the finger bracket 10 in practically the same manner that the recess on the link of a sprocket. chain engages the barrel of the next link. The finger bracket 10 consists of the fan shaped body 10 on which the fingers 11 rest, and the barrel portion 10 A stop 10 is formed on the end of the said barrel 10 to prevent it sliding too far through the channel or recess 9}. To render the finger bracket lighter, 1t 1s cut away, as shown by the series of holes 12 and the large cut-away portion 12 near the barrel. The upper face of the bracket 10 is provided with a. series of shoulders or nibs 10 arranged in the form of an arc and corresponding in number with the fingers. A plate 13 overlies the fingers and is provided with similarly arranged and corresponding nibs which, together with those on the bracket, form pivotal bearings for the said fingers 11. The rivets 14L, preferably three in number, secure the plate 13 to the bracket 10 and thus hold the fingers in place upon their bearings. The fingers fold laterally and are provided with apertures near their fixed ends for receiving the nibs on the finger bracket and overlying plate. On the under side of the bracket 10 are the two lugs 15, in which is pivotally mounted the swinging arm 16. This arm is designed to support the said bracket 10 in a horizontal position when its lower end rests upon the forwardly projecting lug 7 3 on the carriage 7 The carriage supporting and adjusting rod 6 is made to engage and project a short distance above the top of the lug 7 thus forming a stop or retainer to hold the lower end of the arm 16 in position on the top of the forwardly projecting lug. As the finger bracket 10 is raised the arm 16 willbe lifted over the end of the carriage supporting rod 6. A loop 6 on the lower end of said rod 6 enables the operator to grasp the same readily and raise and lower it, while the small set screw 17 affords means for fixing the rod in any desired position.

The ope 'ation of the device is quite ap parent. If the finger bracket is not in place, it is slid upon the carriage 7 as before described, the relative position of the bracket when in a position to enter being shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. It will be noted that engagement is thus impossible either in its horizontal or depending position. The carriage 7 being in its lower position, or down, so it rests upon the bent end 2 the finger bracket is then raised so that the lower end of the arm 16 can be placed upon the lug 7 and behind the upper end of the rod 6. This supports the fingers in a horizontal position. The clothes are now placed upon the fingers for drying, the fingers having been first spread, after which the carriage with its load is raised to its highest position and the set screw 17 tightened against the rod 6, so the clothes will be held in their elevated position as long as desired. When dry they are lowered and removed and the finger bracket disengaged from the carriage and placed away out of the dust if so wished.

hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device of the class described, in combination, a fixed vertically disposed standard, a finger bracket carriage slidingly engaging the standard, a finger bracket having a detachable hinge connection with said carriage, a plurality of fingers pivotally mounted on said bracket, an arm having a hinge connection with the finger bracket and arranged to support same in a horizontal position, a carriage supporting rod depending from said carriage, and means for releasably securing the said rod to the vertically disposed standard, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a device of the class described, in combination, a vertically disposed standard adapted to be fixed to a wall, a finger bracket carriage having a sliding engagement with the standard, a finger bracket having a detachable hinge connection with said carriage and arranged to swing from a pendent to a horizontal position, an overlying finger plate, the said bracket and plate having corresponding projecting nibs which constitute pivotal bearings for the fingers, fingers located between said bracket and plate and provided with recesses adapted to engage said nibs, rivets for securing together the plate, fingers and bracket, an arm having a hinge connection with said bracket and arranged to support same in a horizontal position, a carriage supporting rod depending from said carriage, and means for releasably securing said rod to the vertically disposed standard, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a device of the class described, in combination, a vertically disposed standard adapted to be fixed to a wall, a finger bracket carriage provided with a forwardly projecting lug and anti-friction rollers and having a sliding engagement with the standard, a finger bracket having a detachable hinge connection with said *arriage and arranged to swing from a horizontal to a vertical pendent position, a plurality of fingers pivotally mounted on said bracket in a manner to extend divergently or fold together, an overlying plate for properly securing said fingers on their supporting plate, an arm having a hinge connection with the finger bracket and designed to engage with its free end the forwardly projecting lug on the said carriage, a carriage supporting rod engaging said lug also and projecting therethrough whereby the upper end thereof is caused to form a retaining stop for the free end of said arm, and means for releasably securing said rod to the vertically disposed standard, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

J. C. IVARNES, LYNN lVIAE COLLINS. 

